Gianfranco Ferré

The first look out signaled a change. The hot and heaving vibe of last season was replaced by something cooler, more graphic, more essential to the house of Ferré. That much was evident from the opening white cashmere coat, which buttoned up one side of the torso and had two sculptural, satin-edged lapels, plus a standup collar.
What felt new were the proportions of the shoulders and sleeves—sloped and oversize but not padded in the first case, and narrow and three-quarter length in the second. Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi incorporated that same silhouette into the double-breasted gray flannel jacket of a pantsuit and the black ponyskin and organdy blouse that topped a slim pencil skirt. It gave one half of their collection a slightly masculine, streamlined look.

The other half was certainly streamlined, but it was engineered for the female form. A strict, sleeveless sheath in a navy knit was inset at the torso with black ponyskin. A long-sleeve version came with a glove-leather top and a stretchy cashmere bottom. The duo described the look as decorated minimalism. That came through most clearly in the evening numbers, which also hugged the body, but featured bands of silver crystals. The best was navy and black with the beading at the hips. It had a lot of fans in the audience, and it'll probably have even more in the stores. This was the duo's most woman-friendly show to date.